Not Quite As He Seems
by btamamura
Summary: Tsukishima and Roppongi have seen another side of each other, but that doesn't change how they feel. Shounen-ai Tsukishima x Roppongi, mentioned one-sided Roppongi x Akari, rated for alcohol and mention of drink spiking.


**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Miracle Train ~Oedo-sen e Youkoso~, nor its characters, they are the property of their respective owners. I also do not own Nico Nico Douga or Caramelldansen._

_**Notes: This was spawned by a lot of the official Miracle Train images, and what I had learned when I took a confidence and assertion course. Anyway, there are a lot of images with Tsukishima standing with his arms crossed. While that's usually a cool pose, at the same time, it means that the person is defensive, guarded and restricted, it's like a protective barrier. He does seem to be confident, but we all have those moments, so yeah, here's one of those for my fave station. Also, this fic contains shounen-ai, which is boy x boy, so if you don't like that, then please leave now. If you feel uncomfortable with train stations being shipped with each other, then please leave now. Okay, those who are still here, I hope you enjoy!**_

If there was one thing that Roppongi Fumi admired about Tsukishima Izayoi, it was how confident the slightly taller station seemed. Roppongi enjoyed partying, enjoyed a night out, but at the same time, he was still pretty shy, and would prefer not to say very much. Tsukishima, on the other hand, had no problems with speaking his mind and didn't appear to get embarrassed easily during quiet moments on the Miracle Train.

Roppongi hadn't realised that Tsukishima wasn't always as confident as he seemed. A lot of time, he tended to unconsciously cross his arms in front of his chest. Those times were especially when he was speaking with Roppongi when it wasn't anything concerning a passenger.

"So, I was thinking about going to a nightclub, just for a couple of hours. Would you like to join me?" Roppongi asked his friend as they left the train.

Without knowing he was doing so, Tsukishima crossed his arms. "Today was a trying day...alright, I accept your invitation. Thank you."

"Great! I'll see you outside your apartment in an hour and a half."

"Sounds great!" As they continued on their way to the apartment building with the other stations, numerous conversations were made. Eventually, Tsukishima dropped his arms by his sides.

They soon reached their apartments and entered them, each offering well-wishes for the evening and some _see you_ being thrown in.

Roppongi looked through his wardrobe for a suitable outfit. He had perfect clothes for a night out, but at the same time, he was concerned about his company. He had invited Tsukishima because he had finally decided it was about time he take a chance and tell him how he felt. Prompting from Akari also had something to do with it. _I'm going to do it tonight, Akari-chan, I am finally going to tell him. Please give me strength._ He finally found the perfect outfit. He laid it out on his bed and then went to have a shower.

As the water ran over him, Tsukishima wondered why it was that Roppongi had invited him, of all people, to join him in a couple of hours at a nightclub. He was thankful for the invite, but he expected Shinjuku to have been invited instead, he couldn't think of anybody else who enjoyed nightclubbing as much as he did, not including Roppongi anyway. He turned off the taps and reached for a towel. Continuing his train of thought, most evenings would be spent at a monja restaurant near his terminal, or he'd be making some himself, or he would even curl up and read a good book. So, for him to have been invited to go out nightclubbing...it was certainly very different to what he was used to. But, he'd be going with Roppongi, so there was nothing wrong. _No. There is._ He had almost finished dressing himself as he continued to ponder. _There is something wrong. When I'm with Roppongi-san, I feel different to when I'm with anybody else. I feel anxious, but it's in a good way. _He sighed to himself as he finished dressing, slipping on a jacket, but not buttoning it up. _I think I'll stick to non-alcoholic beverages tonight, I don't want my tongue to be loosened so soon. Roppongi-san is one of my closest friends, and if I were to strain our friendship with my feelings..._ It wasn't a very pleasant thought.

An hour and a quarter had passed and Roppongi was standing outside Tsukishima's apartment. He took a deep breath, knowing he couldn't back out. He reached out and knocked on the door.

Tsukishima opened the door and smiled upon seeing his friend. "Hey, Roppongi-san." He unconsciously crossed his arms again.

"Hi, Tsukishima-san. You look great."

"Thanks. You do as well, though it is to be expected of a seasoned clubber."

Roppongi chuckled a little. "So then, ready to go?"

Tsukishima nodded and stepped out of his apartment, pulling the door closed after himself. He locked it with the key, slipped that into his pocket, and walked alongside Roppongi.

"Um, hey...have I done anything to upset you?"

"Not at all. Why do you ask?"

"You crossed your arms when you saw it was me at the door, and they're still crossed now."

Tsukishima uncrossed them quickly. He then shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that I'm angry at you. But, it couldn't be further from the truth. I didn't even realise I had crossed my arms. Was I wearing an expression that said I was displeased?"

"Well...not so much, no. But, at the same time..."

"Again, I do apologise, I just never realised it."

"Is something troubling you?"

_You could say that..._ "Not really, I'll work it out."

"If you say so." _But, you do know that I would help you, don't you?_

They shifted their conversation away from that topic, even avoiding talking about work. What they did to help other people out was confidential, as were the problems they'd helped people sort. Besides, it was a night in which they could live as young men, not as stations.

They soon arrived at a large nightclub. Tsukishima gazed up at it. "You've got some interesting nightclubs here."

"There's still more, though you should see Shinjuku-san's, those are amazing." Roppongi led Tsukishima to the entrance, and they were permitted entry immediately. That was one of the perks of being a station.

The music playing was really loud, people would have to shout to be heard, but even then only two words out of their whole sentence would be heard clearly. The noise surprised the taller station, he wasn't used to extremely loud sounds...even his terminal on a busy day was quiet compared to the volume the music was at. He looked at Roppongi and noticed the other station appeared to not be bothered by it at all. _Of course not, he'd be used to this._

The shorter station turned concerned blue eyes to Tsukishima. "Are you alright?" he asked at his loudest volume.

"It just surprised me, that's all. I'm alright." His voice was equally loud.

The blue-eyed male smiled in relief. "This way."

Tsukishima followed Roppongi through the crowd of dancing people until they reached a corner far from the speakers. The music was still pretty loud.

"Wanna dance?"

"I don't think I know any moves for a place like this..." Tsukishima was more fond of traditional dances, if anybody needed to know how to do a bon dance, he'd be the one to ask.

"There's nothing to it, here, watch me!" At that, Roppongi started to dance, his arms, legs, hips and head all moving to the beat of the music.

"You're good!"

"Come on, dance with me!"

Picturing the dance as a faster version of one he was more used to, Tsukishima timed the beats and rhythm, then started to move. He might not have been dancing exactly the same way Roppongi was, but it was a start.

"Like I said, nothing to it!" He let out a whoop and continued to dance.

This was a side of Roppongi that Tsukishima had never seen. He'd always known Roppongi to be quiet, slightly shy, and sometimes, even easily embarrassed. But, to see Roppongi dance and shout the way he was, it was incredible. It was a memory for Tsukishima to file away.

Roppongi had noticed his usually confident friend appeared just a slight bit uncomfortable. It was to be expected of someone on their first night out to a nightclub. He hoped his friend would loosen up soon so he'd be able to better enjoy the experience.

Both of them danced through three songs before needing to sit down and have a drink. Roppongi led Tsukishima to a much quieter part of the building. "How's your evening been so far?"

"Different, but enjoyable."

"It'll get better too."

"Is that so?"

"You sound exhausted, are you alright?"

"Just not that used to such intense dance."

"Once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to dance through at least five before needing to rest. You seemed a bit stiff to start with."

"As I said, I'm not used to it. But, I think I'll soon be able to get the hang of it."

Roppongi smiled. "I'm glad. You know, the way I was dancing wasn't even the proper steps."

"Really?"

"Really. In a place like this, you just have to let your hair down and just move your body. Even those who feel they can't dance at all can have a good time, they just have to move their bodies, and next thing they know, they're dancing."

"Is the music always so loud?"

"It has to be so everyone can hear it, especially over numerous conversations and people singing along."

"That smoke surprised me too."

"Yeah, the dry smoke can surprise some people. It just gives the place a darker feel, and when the lights reflect off it, then it gives off a fantastic glow that carries everywhere."

"Not that I'm ungrateful or anything, because I am grateful, but how come you invited me? When it comes to clubbing, I thought you would've invited Shinjuku-san."

"He's worn out after today. Also...there's something we'll have to talk about later. For now, let's just enjoy ourselves."

"Alright then, but are you sure it can wait?"

"It's fine, I'll tell you on our way back to the apartment building."

"Okay."

"So then, let's get a drink, huh?"

"Sounds good, some of the dry smoke got in my mouth."

Roppongi made a silly-looking _grossed-out_ expression which caused Tsukishima to laugh. He joined him.

They considered returning to the quiet spot after getting a drink each. Some may not have expected it, but Roppongi was excellent at holding his liquor. However, he wasn't keen on quite a few of them, leaving him with a vodka. Tsukishima had already vowed not to have alcohol, so he just got a coke. "Keep a close eye on your drink at all times," Roppongi warned as they made their way back to the quiet area. "While many people come here to have a good time, there are those that spoil it in horrible ways."

Tsukishima did as advised. He kept his hand over the top of his glass as they continued walking through the crowd. He'd noticed Roppongi had done the same with his own.

They were soon seated again, both just sipping their drink for the time being. When they put it down, they kept their hands on the top of their glasses as an extra precaution. "I once came here, and had to leave early, not because of work in the morning, but because someone had been foolish enough to spike someone else's drink."

"Was the victim alright?" Tsukishima asked in shock.

Roppongi sadly shook his head. "She didn't make it. Nobody had realised her drink had been spiked until she fell unconscious. By then, it was too late."

The taller station shook his head in response, disgusted that people could even do such a thing.

"That's why I told you to keep an eye on your drink, so yours wouldn't also get spiked."

"Roppongi-san..."

"If anything had happened to you..."

"Nothing will; because you told me, I'm being careful." Tsukishima smiled reassuringly. He drank some more of his coke.

"How come you chose to have that instead of alcohol?"

"I don't know how my alcohol tolerance is; if I can hold it as well as you, or if I'd become inebriated after the first few sips. I don't want to ruin this evening, so I decided to play it safe."

"Ah, I see."

"And you, Roppongi-san?"

"I like vodka." He had a few sips. "It took me a while to get used to it though, it burned my throat the first couple of times I had it."

"Is it because of who you are that you have a high tolerance?"

"Not at all. I used to be pretty bad myself, but then, after enough times, I was able to increase my tolerance. But, since we're working tomorrow, I'm only going to have one. As good as I am while drinking them, and throughout the night, I'm still prone to hangovers. The glass isn't too big, so I should be alright tomorrow morning. Plus, we're not going to be out all night long."

"So, before we get back to the dance floor, are there any dances that I will need to know the steps to?"

"Hmm...yeah, there's a couple, but they're not too hard. Just follow my lead, and you'll get it in no time. There's a really easy one that has been pretty popular over the last few weeks, it's already been made into numerous videos on _Nico Nico Douga_'s website."

"Which is that?"

"A Swedish song called _Caramelldansen_, only it's the _Speedy-cake Remix_."

They continued conversing as they finished their drinks, then took the glasses back to the bar before getting back onto the dance floor.

They spent two and a half hours dancing, drinking and talking. So far, it was a wonderful way for them to spend the evening, but it wasn't over yet. They were walking back to the apartment building when Roppongi froze in his tracks. "Um, Tsukishima-san?"

Tsukishima turned to face his friend. "Is something the matter, Roppongi-san?"

"I hope not. But...I'm ready to tell you what I need to tell you."

"Alright. I am listening." He unconsciously crossed his arms again.

"Tsukishima-san...for a while now, ever since Akari-chan had told us she was getting married, I've had feelings for you. They're beyond friendship, and beyond brotherly bounds."

"Roppongi-san..."

"I'm in love with you. I invited you out to join me at the nightclub because...well, I wanted us to have at least one more fun time in case things turned out bitter. I wanted us to have a fond memory, just in case. I am in love with you, Tsukishima Izayoi."

Tsukishima was in shock. He hadn't realised that all along, Roppongi had been harbouring the same feelings he had. "Roppongi-san, I really enjoyed this evening with you, and do indeed have fond memories of it. I had seen you in a way hardly anybody does. You were so confident and full of energy, all those who claimed you were boring would've been silenced if they saw you the way I did this evening. I have that in my memories too."

Roppongi started to worry. Tsukishima's arms were crossed, and he was wearing a serious expression.

"At first, I was worried about coming out with you tonight, I was worried that if I had decided to have alcohol, I would've done something foolish to destroy our friendship. But, my fears were unfounded. I truly enjoyed spending this evening with you. I couldn't think of a better way to spend the evening than with someone I love."

"Tsukishima-san..."

"Yes. I am in love with you, Roppongi-san, I have been for a very long time, even during the days Akari-san was aboard the Miracle Train." He smiled, and dropped his arms to his side. He stepped close to Roppongi and embraced him. "I held back, because I could see you had feelings for her, even when she was dating Kurokawa-san. I decided to wait until you told me, even if those times I only considered that to be a silly wish."

"It's far from silly," Roppongi replied quietly as he returned the embrace.

"I now have three more memories for this wonderful evening."

"What are they?"

"Our mutual feelings being reciprocated, being held in each other's arms..."

"That's only two."

"...and this." At that, Tsukishima leaned in and kissed Roppongi tenderly, he felt it being reciprocated.

Gone were the days of Tsukishima guarding his feelings when talking with Roppongi, gone were the days he held back his heart's deepest affections. After all, one shouldn't hold back what should be let free for the world to see.


End file.
